SA: No regrets for staffer involved in paedophile MP claims

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2006
SA: No regrets for staffer involved in paedophile MP claims

A former parliamentary staffer says he doesn't regret wrongly outing a South Australian
politician as a paedophile.

Criminal defamation charges have been dismissed against former parliamentary staffers
BARRY STANDFIELD and WENDY UTTING .. who were volunteer workers for former SA parliamentary
speaker PETER LEWIS.

The pair made statutory declarations .. which were released to the media last year
.. naming a current Labor MP as an alleged paedophile.

The declarations also named a former Liberal MP and two senior police officers as alleged
paedophiles.

But in the Adelaide Magistrates Court .. District Court judge MARIE SHAW ruled Mr STANDFIELD
and Ms UTTING had no case to answer after hearing the four named men had never publicly
denied the claims.

Outside the court .. Mr STANDFIELD said he had no regrets about his actions and remained
committed to uncovering the extent of sex abuse of children.







But Judge SHAW ruled a third defendant .. CRAIG RATCLIFF .. should face trial on one
charge of criminal defamation.

RATCLIFF allegedly made the paedophile claims about the Labor MP to Mr LEWIS's office
.. saying he had sex with the politician when he was underage in the 1980s.

RATCLIFF later said he had mistaken the MP for another man.

A police investigation found no evidence that any of the four men named in the statutory
declarations were paedophiles.

AAP RTV la/es/bart

KEYWORD: STANDFIELD (ADELAIDE)

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.